Sunday, September 11, 2011

It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since that
horrible day. I was living on Long Island at that time in an area deeply
touched by the effects of September 11, 2001. Many of my neighbors worked in
Manhattan, some in and around the World Trade Center. I spent the day with one
close friend whose husband worked in Tower Two. We waited for hours to hear
from him and, though he did make it back unharmed, many in his office did not.

In addition to the people I knew who worked at the World Trade Center, there many
New York City Firefighters who live on Long Island. I knew some of those who went
into the building burning, collapsing building to help survivors, and search
for others. There was one husband and wife who both worked at Ground Zero, not
able to let their five children know where they were.

At the same time I worried about the adults I knew stuck in
New York City, there were school children – one of which was mine – sitting in
classrooms down the block. They didn’t know if their parents were alive (some
were not) and what was happening to anyone outside of the school walls.
Dismissal was early that day and cell phones would be allowed in the school
after that, as students missed those final phone calls from their parents.

For many days, Long Island was isolated, as the bridges and
tunnels were closed. The newscasts went on and on, showing the planes crash
over and over. It got to the point where I was ashamed of being a journalist as
there is a fine line between news and exploitation. No one was happier than me
when the Mets started playing, the sitcoms were once again broadcast and we all
did our best not to spend every moment thinking about what happened.

I saw the changes in the world almost immediately as I began
to travel. Airport security took on a new meaning. First, my laptop came out
and I could no longer carry water. Then soon the shoes came off and the
scanners appeared. Travel – and life – changed completely.

As the days and years went on, I did my best to remember
those lost and those who served us, but I hated the thought of this 10 year
anniversary celebration.Life has
forever changed for all of us and while I still feel that ratings was the
biggest motivation this week when playing 9/11 tributes, I did (tearfully)
watch some of the speeches at the memorial and realized how many needed
this.

I don’t know that I will be able to bring myself to go down
to the 911 Memorial, but I’m glad it’s there.
What I do know, beyond all, that we have all learned how precious life is and
how important it is to enjoy each day we can with our loved ones.

Aerial photo of 911
Memorial as of August, 2011 by Joe Woolhead, courtesy of 911Memorial Photos were not released to the
press after so the families would be the first to see it.